A soft cookie should stay soft. A cracker should stay crisp. Bread should remain fresh without developing mold. A filled cake should keep its individual textures without moisture moving from one component to another. These products are very different — but they share one important parameter: water activity (aw). Water activity describes the energy state…
A powder can leave production within its moisture specification, flow perfectly through the filling line and still arrive at the customer as a hard, compacted mass. A spice blend can remain microbiologically unable to support growth and yet lose aroma, color or functionality. A spray-dried powder can be stable under dry warehouse conditions but become…
Meat preservation has been used by civilizations for thousands of years to provide a longterm protein source that won’t spoil during storage or travel. The preservation of meat through curing dates to antiquity, often discovered through accidental mishandling of meat. The most common methods used to cure meat include salting, brining, smoking, and drying. All…
